Investigators: Fake Bear Used in Insurance Stunt

If you're going to dress up like a bear to commit insurance fraud, at least dress up like a bear that actually exists in your state. Authorities in Southern California say four men overlooked that bit of common sense, among others, and now face charges of fraud and conspiracy, reports the Los Angeles Times. The men submitted startling video—see it here—of a brown bear entering a 2010 Rolls-Royce at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains at night and ripping it to shreds. "Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume," according to a statement from the state Insurance Department.

Upon even further scrutiny, investigators discovered that the suspects had submitted two earlier videos of a bear damaging two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, per NBC News. Police then found a bear costume in their home, complete with kitchen tools known as meat claws. The four charged with defrauding insurance companies of more than $140,000 are Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, and Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, all of Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village. No brown bear has been seen in California in a century, notes the Los Angeles newspaper. The state only has black bears, though in fairness, black bears can sometimes look brown. (More strange stuff stories.)